


Surviving Finals

by mcschnuggles



Series: Schnugg's Regressuary 2021 [4]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - College/University, CGRE - Caregiver/Age Regressor, Caregiver!Peko, Cuddling & Snuggling, Gen, Regressing!Fuyuhiko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:53:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29201661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles
Summary: Fuyuhiko's finished up the last of his finals and immediately seeks out Peko.
Relationships: Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko & Pekoyama Peko
Series: Schnugg's Regressuary 2021 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138382
Comments: 10
Kudos: 25
Collections: Regressuary, Regressuary 2021





	Surviving Finals

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pastelpacis (cottoncandyacey)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cottoncandyacey/gifts).



> Heavily based on pastelpaci's Danganronpa fics because I reread them like every time I'm feeling sad

_Knock, knock, knock_.

Peko startles awake, shocked to find she’s drifted off slumped over her desk in the first place.

A sticky note clings to her cheek, which she shoves back into the day planner she’d been using as a pillow. All the outstanding tasks, the paper due yesterday, the presentation today, sit crossed out or checked off. And thank God for that. A rather persistent stress dream she keeps having is that she hadn’t finished any of her work at all, and it’s making rest rather difficult.

_Knock, knock_.

The knocks are a little louder this time, a little more persistent.

Peko bolts for her desk, swiping up every takeout container littered between her textbooks and dropping them in the garbage can.

She hasn’t been eating well, as is usually the case with finals week. First it’s because of a lack of time, and then it’s because of lack of energy. Her exams are done, so she’s firmly in the second category.

The third round of knocking starts up by the time things are presentable. Well, “presentable.” She still has a sizable laundry chair, trash that needs to be taken out, and just about every time she crosses the room, she almost slips on stray papers, but at least her desk isn’t displaying how much instant mac n cheese she’s eaten in the last two days.

Peko’s eyes soften as she opens the door. She had a feeling—very few people come knocking on her door—but seeing Fuyuhiko in person is still a relief. “Hey there. Come inside.”

“Thanks,” Fuyuhiko mutters. He steps inside with only a cursory glance at the dirty mugs lining her sink. The heavy door swings shut behind them.

“How did your finals go?” Peko asks.

The only answer she gets in response is a prolonged groan, but she supposes that’s the best answer she’s going to get.

“I’m sure you did great,” Peko says. “You studied very hard.”

“Studied very hard” is probably a bit of an understatement. There hasn’t been a single night in the past few weeks where he hasn’t been studying right before bed. She’d met him in the dining hall more than once to find him eating, his textbook propped up in front of him.

Not only that, but Fuyuhiko asked her to quiz him so much that she was pretty sure _she_ could ace his final. She knows more about business terms than she ever wanted to know.

Fuyuhiko frowns. She can see it in his eyes, every question he didn’t know, every answer he got wrong and didn’t realize, every essay question he didn’t have enough time to feel confident on. “I guess.”

“Hey, don’t worry about that right now.” She wraps her arms around his shoulders and falls backward, sending them both tumbling onto her mattress.

The springs of her old bedframe creak dangerously, but she’s too used to the sound to be intimidated by it.

“What, are you declaring mandatory naptime?” Fuyuhiko teases.

Peko pauses. Fuyuhiko doesn’t normally talk about his regression, let alone joke about it. Maybe something is wrong?

“Is that… what you want?” Peko asks, her voice stilted and awkward.

“Not today, Peko.” Fuyuhiko averts his eyes, giving her all the incentive she needs to push the subject.

She lowers her voice a pitch, running a hand through his hair. “Not even a little?”

“Well…” Fuyuhiko’s cheeks burn. He wiggles a little, breaking out of her gentle hold and rolling onto his back.

Peko does the same. Her mattress is a twin, barely enough to accommodate the two of them, but she likes the snugness of being shoulder to shoulder.

“I don’t wanna push you or anything,” Fuyuhiko continues. “I know I’ve been a pill lately.”

“Hey.” She cups his cheeks with both hands. “I finished my last final this morning. If you want tiny time, then I’m more than happy to help.”

“Maybe just an hour?” he asks softly. He phrases it like a question, like Peko would ever say no. It always breaks her heart when he tries to minimize his needs like that.

“Go get changed then,” she says, booping his nose. “Wouldn’t wanna break the rules, would we?”

Fuyuhiko knows her rules by now. She doesn’t have many, but the ones she has are rather simple.

No swearing. Binder off. Communicate. That’s all she asks of Fuyuhiko.

He has his own stash of clothes in her dorm. Nothing much, just a few shirts and hoodies to go with his more overt regression gear. It’s safer to keep it in Peko’s room. After all, she doesn’t have a roommate like Fuyuhiko does.

Her comfy clothes aren’t much, just a free t-shirt she got from the charity 5K she participated in last semester. It’s way softer than it has any right to be, and she tries to save it only for quality time with Fuyuhiko.

Fuyuhiko puts in the doorstop on his way out, returning a few minutes later with his comfy clothes on and his Nintendo Switch in hand.

“You must be tired if you’re breaking out the video games,” Peko jokes. Last she checked, Kazuichi had had to put his Switch in a timed safe just so Fuyuhiko wouldn’t let himself get distracted.

They get adjusted rather quickly. He sits propped up against her chest, his paci in his mouth and his Switch in his hands as they snuggle up in her bed. A mountain of pillows lay behind her, propping her up without putting too much strain on her back.

“What are you going to play, little prince?” she asks.

“Amma.” He absently reaches out and grabs Peck, his gray teddy bear that has to stay on Peko’s bed at all times. She fits naturally into the crook of his arm, where she can watch him play.

“Animal Crossing today? Will you show me all your friends?”

Fuyuhiko nods. It really must’ve been quite the day, for him to already be so nonverbal.

Peko doesn’t think she’s seen him play it once while big, but it’s a game he loves to death when he’s little. So depending on how long it’s been since he last regressed, he’ll spend anywhere from a few minutes to an hour meticulously combing over the island to pluck any weeds that have cropped up in the interim.

She feels the tension in his shoulders gradually melt away as he reads Isabelle’s morning announcements and goes through his mail, but he only fully relaxes after he takes care of the weeds. There aren’t that many, so it begs the question. Has Fuyuhiko regressed without her?

“Who’s that one?” Peko taps her fingernail against the screen, pointing to the smiling purple mouse that has approached Fuyuhiko’s avatar.

“That’s Rod,” Fuyuhiko mutters. “He likes sports.”

“He wants a seashell.” Peko observes as Fuyuhiko taps through the dialogue. “Are you going to help him now or later?”

“Later,” Fuyuhiko replies. “Gotta say hi to everyone first.”

“That’s very polite of you, little prince.” She points out a golden dog character fishing by the river. “Who’s this?”

“Goldie.”

“She’s on your phone game too.”

Fuyuhiko hums, which she supposes is his way of saying that she’s one of his favorites, probably because she was one of his first campers on the mobile game.

Fuyuhiko plays the mobile game more frequently, but for less time. It’s usually what he does to get through back-to-back classes, just a little way to snag some good regression feels without going all the way into his headspace.

Sometimes he’ll send her screenshots, all of which she still has saved despite not understanding a single thing about Animal Crossing. The lack of concrete tasks strikes her as aimless instead of calming, and while the characters are cute, she has no idea how it’s able to keep Fuyuhiko’s attention for so long.

Fuyuhiko introduces her to the rest of his villagers one at a time. He’s too nonverbal to really say anything, so he just gets her attention by reaching back and tugging on her shirt sleeve whenever he wants her to meet someone new.

She’s able to get most of the names right, though she always gets the Able sisters confused with one another. But Isabelle, Tom Nook, and Blathers are ones she can name easily.

She can even get a couple of the other villagers right, but it’s harder since there are a few new faces since the last time he played. Fuyuhiko gladly introduces them to her, though he’s gone so small that he can barely saw more than a few words. The remaining names come out half-slurred. “Punch.” “Sp’inkle.” “Fibbert.” “’ily.”

Peko nods and smiles, trying to show her interest without engaging him with questions. He’s well past the point of being verbal, and she doesn’t want to push him when he so obviously needs this.

She can’t remember the last time she’d seen him this small. If she had to guess, it was probably after that huge presentation he had to give last semester. He only drops like this when he’s stressed.

“Are you catching fishies?” she asks. He’s said hello to everyone in town, and now he’s fishing by the ocean.

The words feel awkward in her mouth, and saying them out loud, she expects Fuyuhiko to spin on her and ask what the fuck she thinks she’s doing, but he doesn’t. He just gives a happy little wiggle and nods.

God, he really is small today.

Peko rubs a hand up and down his arm, resting her chin against his head. Sleep is calling to her, and she wouldn’t mind putting on a movie as background noise. She hadn’t realized how much finals had taken out of her until she’d finally rested.

“Go sleep, Mama,” Fuyuhiko says. He twists just enough to look at her with his puppy dog eyes.

The mountain of pillows against her back is tempting. She wouldn’t even have to move to get comfortable. Fuyuhiko could stay exactly where he is, too. No need for anyone to move.

And honestly, who is she to say no to those eyes?

**Author's Note:**

> mcschnuggles.tumblr.com


End file.
